Examples Of Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird
The Pointless Dream
America is the land of the free. If you're a rich white male, that is. America is also the home of the brave. Until we feel threatened, then everyone panics. What America really is is a land of hypocrisy, where people claim to do justice while simultaneously excluding groups they don't agree with from that justice. People try to fight it, but in the end, it is simple human nature to war with ourselves. America will never treat all people fairly. Some who feel the worst of this prejudice are people of color, women, and people with different religious beliefs.
It's no secret that blacks are viewed as ‘lesser’ by much of the country's inhabitants. This is well illustrated in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson is clearly innocent of the crimes he is accused of, and yet …show more content…
the jury still finds him guilty. Why? Because he is different. Because he is black. Had he been white, the trial would have had a very different ending. Similar things are still happening in America to this day, despite everyone knowing that it is wrong, and that is why we are doomed.
Women are another example of why our country will never be truly equal. They are given less pay, less power, and thought of as weak and frivolous, even though the vast majority are not. Harper Lee once again illustrates this in her novel, using the beloved character of Scout. She is very unconventional, and constantly being told how to dress, talk, and act in order to be a proper lady. However, who gets to decide what proper is? Therein lies the paradox; if people simply go along with what they are told to do, there will never be change, and most people are afraid to speak up for what is right.
Religion through the ages has always been an issue full of discrimination.
While it is not touched upon in any great detail in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is one of the key debates in the upcoming elections. Of course, no one says that it is about religion; they claim that they are fighting terrorists, protecting the country, etcetera. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has recently issued a statement saying that America should ban all Muslims from entering the country. According to CNN, “Trump, who has previously called for surveillance against mosques and said he was open to establishing a database for all Muslims living in the U.S., made his latest controversial call in a news release. His message comes in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, by suspected ISIS sympathizers and the day after President Barack Obama asked the country not to "turn against one another" out of fear.” Donald Trump: Ban All Muslim Travel to U.S. - CNNPolitics.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. People are so fearful of different religions that they are not even willing to let them set foot in the country, in the land of the
free.
Clearly women, people of color, and different religions all struggle to find equality in America. It has been that way since the beginning of the country, and will continue to be. Human nature is that we protect oursleves, that eveything new is wrong and must be exterminated. Many oppressed group simply go along with this, not daring to speak out for fear of retribution. However, if no one speaks out, nothing will change. And if nothing changes, we are doomed.
America is the land of the free. If you're a rich white male, that is. America is also the home of the brave. Until we feel threatened, then everyone panics. What America really is is a land of hypocrisy, where people claim to do justice while simultaneously excluding groups they don't agree with from that justice. People try to fight it, but in the end, it is simple human nature to war with ourselves. America will never treat all people fairly. Some who feel the worst of this prejudice are people of color, women, and people with different religious beliefs.
It's no secret that blacks are viewed as ‘lesser’ by much of the country's inhabitants. This is well illustrated in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson is clearly innocent of the crimes he is accused of, and yet …show more content…
the jury still finds him guilty. Why? Because he is different. Because he is black. Had he been white, the trial would have had a very different ending. Similar things are still happening in America to this day, despite everyone knowing that it is wrong, and that is why we are doomed.
Women are another example of why our country will never be truly equal. They are given less pay, less power, and thought of as weak and frivolous, even though the vast majority are not. Harper Lee once again illustrates this in her novel, using the beloved character of Scout. She is very unconventional, and constantly being told how to dress, talk, and act in order to be a proper lady. However, who gets to decide what proper is? Therein lies the paradox; if people simply go along with what they are told to do, there will never be change, and most people are afraid to speak up for what is right.
Religion through the ages has always been an issue full of discrimination.
While it is not touched upon in any great detail in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is one of the key debates in the upcoming elections. Of course, no one says that it is about religion; they claim that they are fighting terrorists, protecting the country, etcetera. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has recently issued a statement saying that America should ban all Muslims from entering the country. According to CNN, “Trump, who has previously called for surveillance against mosques and said he was open to establishing a database for all Muslims living in the U.S., made his latest controversial call in a news release. His message comes in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, by suspected ISIS sympathizers and the day after President Barack Obama asked the country not to "turn against one another" out of fear.” Donald Trump: Ban All Muslim Travel to U.S. - CNNPolitics.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. People are so fearful of different religions that they are not even willing to let them set foot in the country, in the land of the
free.
Clearly women, people of color, and different religions all struggle to find equality in America. It has been that way since the beginning of the country, and will continue to be. Human nature is that we protect oursleves, that eveything new is wrong and must be exterminated. Many oppressed group simply go along with this, not daring to speak out for fear of retribution. However, if no one speaks out, nothing will change. And if nothing changes, we are doomed.